This invention relates to a painter""s palette, and alternatively, to a portable painter""s box having a continuous palette feature. The continuous palette may be attached to an easel or any other convenient object, or it may simply be carried by itself.
Palettes have been used by painters for hundreds of years to mix and temporarily hold paint to be used in the artist""s work. Traditionally, a palette is a board or other surface onto which raw paint is dumped by an artist before mixing it and/or brushing it onto a canvas or other work surface. Depending on the palette surface, the paint used, or the way the paint is used, it can be difficult for an artist to clean off a palette surface after use.
There are several conventional methods for solving this dirty palette problem. First, the surface of the palette may be made from Formica, glass, or a smooth plastic that is easily cleaned and wiped off. Also, disposable palette boards may be used and simply thrown away. Also, paper, including a continuous roll of paper may be used where the pieces of paper or sections of paper can act as a palette surface and then simply be discarded after use. Each of these conventional solutions can cause a mess with the frequent cleaning or disposing of a palette.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to overcome the foregoing drawbacks of conventional palette assemblies and to provide a continuous, renewable palette for an artist. The invention includes a feed roll of paper and windup roller for allowing an artist to continuously use clean paper as a palette. The xe2x80x9cused rollxe2x80x9d can be conveniently disposed of after use. The artist does not have to worry about the substantial clean up and disposal problems that might otherwise occur.
In one embodiment, the continuous palette assembly comprises a frame, a windup roller, a feed roller, and paper. The frame comprises a palette surface and a feed chamber adapted to carry the feed roller, the feed chamber being open to the palette surface. The windup roller is mounted onto the frame so that the windup roller is free to move rotationally. The feed roller and windup roller are each adapted to have paper rolled around them. Accordingly, the paper is unrolled from the feed roller, passes across the palette surface, and is rolled up around the windup roller. This assembly may further have a box like configuration of the frame wherein the palette surface is the top of the box and windup roller is mounted underneath the palette surface. Still further, the feed chamber can be open to the palette surface through an aperture in the frame, the aperture being adapted to allow paper to pass through it. Also, the feed roller can be mounted onto the frame so that the feed roller is free to move rotationally. In a further alternative, the assembly may comprise tensioning collars around the feed roller and/or windup roller. The assembly may further comprise a connector that is adapted to attach the assembly to an easel. The frame may also comprise a storage chamber.
In an alternative embodiment, the continuous palette assembly may comprise a frame, a windup roller, and a roll of paper. The frame comprises a palette surface and a feed chamber adapted to carry the roll of paper, the feed chamber being open to the palette surface. The windup roller is mounted onto the frame so that the windup roller is free to move rotationally and is adapted to have paper rolled around it. Accordingly, paper is unrolled from the roll of paper, passes across the palette surface, and is rolled up around the windup roller. Also, the frame can be a box like configuration with the palette surface as the top of the box, and the windup roller mounted underneath the palette surface. The feed chamber can be open to the palette surface through an aperture in the frame, the aperture adapted to allow paper to pass through it. The assembly may further comprise a connector adapted to attach the assembly to a easel. The frame may further comprise a storage chamber.
In a still further embodiment, the continuous palette assembly may comprise a frame, a windup roller, a feed roller, and paper. The frame comprises a palette surface and roller mounts, the roller mounts adapted to carry the feed and windup rollers. The feed roller and windup roller are each adapted to have the paper rolled around it wherein paper unrolled from the feed roller passes across the palette surface and is rolled up around the windup roller. Also, the frame may have a box-like configuration with the palette surface as the top of the box, and the feed and windup rollers are mounted underneath the palette surface. The assembly may further comprise a connector. The frame may further comprise a storage chamber. Further, the assembly may comprise a feed roller tensioning collar and/or a windup roller tensioning collar.